Filtern
Dokumenttyp
Sprache
- Englisch (5)
Referierte Publikation
- ja (5)
Schlagworte
- Mössbauer (5) (entfernen)
The maximum magnetisation (saturation magnetisation) obtainable for iron oxide nanoparticles can be increased by doping the nanocrystals with non-magnetic elements such as zinc. Herein, we closely study how only slightly different synthesis approaches towards such doped nanoparticles strongly influence the resulting sub-nano/atomic structure. We compare two co-precipitation approaches, where we only vary the base (NaOH versus NH3), and a thermal decomposition route. These methods are the most commonly applied ones for synthesising doped iron oxide nanoparticles. The measurable magnetisation change upon zinc doping is about the same for all systems. However, the sub-nano structure, which we studied with Mössbauer and X-ray absorption near edge spectroscopy, differs tremendously. We found evidence that a much more complex picture has to be drawn regarding what happens upon Zn doping compared to what textbooks tell us about the mechanism. Our work demonstrates that it is crucial to study the obtained structures very precisely when “playing” with the atomic order in iron oxide nanocrystals.
The investigation of iron-doped AlO(OH)/Al2O3 systems revealed that the combined employment of Mössbauer and ESR spectroscopies together with thermal analysis yields meaningful data with complementary information. This mutual complementarity is based on the coexistence of Fe point defects with the corresponding aggregated FeOx species which has been observed even for very low Fe concentrations. Competing redox processes between the dopant, the AlOx matrix, and the gas atmosphere during the thermal treatment enable the generation of solid phases exhibiting specific chemical properties. The entire reaction process is influenced by a specific mechanical and thermal pre-treatment that affects predominantly oxydative processes in the matrix. A protecting influence of the matrix preventing further reductive attack of the Fe3+ Fe2+ ions by hydrogen has been established.
Superparamagnetic iron oxide particles (SPIO) of maghemite were prepared in aqueous solution and subsequently stabilized with polymers in two layer-by-layer deposition steps. The first layer around the maghemite core is formed by poly(ethylene imine) (PEI), and the second one is formed by poly(ethylene oxide)-block-poly(glutamic acid) (PEO-PGA). The hydrodynamic diameter of the particles increases stepwise from Dh = 25 nm (parent) via 35 nm (PEI) to 46 nm (PEI plus PEO-PGA) due to stabilization. This is accompanied by a switching of their -potentials from moderately positive (+28 mV) to highly positive (+50 mV) and finally slightly negative (-3 mV). By contrast, the polydispersity indexes of the particles remain constant (ca. 0.15). Mössbauer spectroscopy revealed that the iron oxide, which forms the core of the particles, is only present as Fe(III) in the form of superparamagnetic maghemite nanocrystals. The magnetic domains and the maghemite crystallites were found to be identical with a size of 12.0 ± 0.5 nm. The coated maghemite nanoparticles were tested to be stable in water and in physiological salt solution for longer than 6 months. In contrast to novel methods for magnetic nanoparticle production, where organic solvents are necessary, the procedure proposed here can dispense with organic solvents. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) experiments on living rats indicate that the nanoparticles are useful as an MRI contrast agent.